


Something Simple

by DecemberCamie



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Birthday, Canon Universe, Crushes, Don't copy to another site, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Presents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:42:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25137109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DecemberCamie/pseuds/DecemberCamie
Summary: Killua is beautiful.There’s really no other way to say it. Knowing Killua is beautiful is like saying the sky is blue, or the ocean is wet. Killua is just beautiful, and that’s a fact.Killua’s earrings make him look even nicer, Gon thinks. Not in a blinding way but...in an enhanced, more illuminating sort of way. They add to Killua’s appearance, but they don’t outshine him.It makes Gon want to give Killua earrings, too.
Relationships: Gon Freecs/Killua Zoldyck
Comments: 49
Kudos: 500





	Something Simple

It’s the third week since Killua woke up in a cold sweat from a nightmare about Gon drowning, two and a half weeks since Alluka bought tickets to Whale Island _without_ asking Killua, their second week staying at the Freecss’ house, and Gon is staring at him like he’s got two heads. 

The tips of Killua’s ears burn as he pads around the kitchen in his oversized t-shirt (his own) and a pair of too-short pants (Gon’s). “What?” he asks, self-conscious and defensive all at once. 

Gon blinks, as if suddenly coming back to himself. “Huh?”

“Why are you gawking at me like that?”

“I’m not gawking at you!”

Killua almost slaps himself. Almost. _“Gon._ You’ve been staring at me since I came downstairs. What, do I have really bad bed hair or something? We’ve slept together enough that you should know what I look like in the morning by now.”

Slept together as in, sharing a bed. Not slept together like...like _that_. Just the thought makes Killua’s stomach do flip flops. 

Gon looks offended. “I don’t care if you have bed hair, Killua! I think your bed hair is kind of cute, actually.”

Killua’s blush only darkens. He yanks the refrigerator door open a little harder than necessary and snaps, “Gon, stop avoiding the subject and just spit it out already.”

He grabs the chocolate syrup out of the fridge and turns around just in time to see Gon scratching a pink and freckled cheek. 

Killua’s heart gives a little stutter. Was Gon...was Gon _blushing?_

“It's just...you’re wearing earrings!” Gon points to Killua’s still-red ears. “I didn’t notice, before.”

“I took them out before we got to Whale Island,” Killua says, too surprised that Gon would even notice his ears were pierced to figure out _why_ exactly that detail would make Gon blush. “I only got the chance to put them back in this morning.”

“Oh.” Gon brightens and beams at Killua. “Well, they look nice! When did you get your ears pierced?”

Killua bites down on his bottom lip. Gon is still just as annoying as ever—and by annoying, Killua means _‘way too embarrassing for Killua’s health’._ Two years apart had changed so much between them, but not Gon’s ability to make Killua combust. 

“I did it about a year ago?” Killua says as he plops down besides Gon at the table. Gon’s already eaten earlier that morning, probably shoved an apple in his face or something healthy like that. He made sure to make some chocolate chip pancakes for Killua though, despite Killua only stirring close to noon, and the thoughtfulness of the gesture is touching. 

Gon’s been thoughtful a lot lately. He notices small things, now. Things like Killua’s earrings. 

Killua cuts into the chocolate-y pancakes and shoves a large piece into his mouth to distract himself from his thoughts. “We go’ eet done een fuh Azian confifent. **”** He swallows. Gon is watching him with a strange intensity, so Killua continues awkwardly, “There was some old lady doing it for free. I, uh, got my first pair of earrings there and everything.”

Gon’s golden eyes widen. “You have more than one pair of earrings?”

“Yeah? ‘Course I do, it would be pretty dumb to let someone stick a needle in me and not get something out of it.” Killua pointedly avoids mentioning Illumi’s needle he’d found in his head all those years ago. Gon doesn’t need to know about that, even now. 

Gon leans across the table. There’s an excited look on his face, one that Killua knows all too well. It’s a look that spells _adventure_ and _anticipation._ But why Gon would be so excited about _earrings_ of all things is a mystery to Killua. 

“Wanna show me your collection, then?” Gon asks, and Killua can’t say no. 

**-o0o-**

Killua is beautiful. 

There’s really no other way to say it. Knowing Killua is beautiful is like saying the sky is blue, or the ocean is wet. Killua is just beautiful, and that’s a fact. 

Killua’s earrings make him look even nicer, Gon thinks. Not in a blinding way but...in an enhanced, more illuminating sort of way. They add to Killua’s appearance, but they don’t outshine him. 

And Killua has _so many_ earrings that Gon can’t keep track of them all. They each represent a different place he and Alluka visited, from the red-glowing studs made from the rock of an active volcano, to the dangling chain-like ones that wrap around the shell of his ear like a snake. The ones he’s wearing now are obviously made by his sisters—they’re pink with a metallic shine, a wobbly smiley face scratched onto its surface. They’re cute, but also intimate in an innocent sort of way. 

It makes Gon want to give Killua earrings, too. 

He spends the next few days trying to figure out exactly what to make. Killua keeps giving him strange looks, but he doesn’t ask Gon about it. That’s good, because Gon wants it to be a surprise. Killua’s birthday is coming up anyway and it’s the perfect gift for his best friend. 

(Best friend, and maybe more? Gon’s always been so sure about his feelings and wants. But lately Gon looks at Killua and he wants something _more_. He wants to be close to Killua and make him laugh. Sometimes they brush hands and Gon doesn't want to pull away. He realizes just how much he likes the pink blush on Killua’s cheeks whenever their eyes meet, and the way his silver puffs of hair flow in the breeze…

...it makes him wonder if Killua ever wants more, too.)

**-o0o-**

The hardest part about making earrings for Killua is trying to find something that will actually compliment Killua. Gon’s not fancy enough to make a super complicated design, and he’s not skilled enough to add the fancy jewels that some of Killua’s other earrings have. 

But the earrings Alluka and Nanika gave Killua weren’t so complicated, right? Just a smiley face. It meant nothing to the world but everything to Killua, who knew what they represented. 

So...maybe Gon just needs something like that. Something simple, but important. Something that will remind Killua of Gon whenever he’s off traveling the globe with his sisters and miles away from Whale Island. Maybe it will make him think of his best friend, the person who misses him more than anything and everyone in the world combined. 

**-o0o-**

Killua’s birthday comes and goes in a flurry of confetti and excited shrieks and chocolate cake and sunburned skin. 

Killua spends the day with the two people he loves most—Gon and Alluka—doing the things he loves most—eating chocolate and exploring Whale Island and smiling until his cheeks hurt. It’s the perfect day, the best birthday Killua’s ever had, and it’s all because it’s spent on Whale Island, a place that has become like a second home to him. 

After dinner they sing happy birthday. Killua blows out the candles and everyone cheers so loud that some of the towns people probably heard them. They all stuff their faces until they can’t breathe and Killua can’t ever remember feeling as happy as he does now. It’s only after all that, when Aunt Mito and Alluka are clearing the table and chatting about the day, that Gon taps a finger on Killua’s shoulder. 

“Wanna go on a walk with me?” he asks. His round face is clear of any redness, unlike Killua’s cheeks which are burned enough to sting. “I want to give you something.”

“Okay?” 

Killua doesn’t know why Gon needs to grab his wrist and tug him outside and all the way down to the beach to give him a present. But he doesn’t want to fight the giddy fluttering of his heart as Gon’s calloused fingers hold onto his skin, so he doesn’t. 

It’s not like he could ever fight Gon, anyway. 

They get to the beach in record time. The sun is just brushing the ocean horizon, painting the sky in beautiful colors of pink and purple and gold. The waves sparkle and the sand is warm under Killua’s toes. Whale Island really is a little slice of heaven, mostly because Gon is here at his side. 

“What’d you want to give me so bad?” Killua asks Gon after a slight pause. The cry of seagulls and the dull roar of the waves is nice, but that’s not why they’re here. “Is it chocolate?”

Gon wrinkles his nose. “Killua, you had enough chocolate today to last you an entire year!”

 _“No_ amount of chocolate is enough to last an entire year,” Killua says, offended, and Gon shakes his head with a slight laugh. 

“Only you would say that...I’m sorry, but I didn’t get you chocolate.”

“Really? Damn.” Killua sighs dramatically and Gon’s fingers tightened around his wrist minutely. “Well, sorry to break it to you, but no present stands up to chocolate.”

Gon puffs out his cheeks. “This one might!”

Killua grins. Gon’s so cute sometimes, it’s impossible not to smile around him. “Oh, yeah? Must be something pretty good, then.”

 _“I_ think it’s good...but your opinion is the only one that matters. Since it’s your gift and all.” He nudges Killua’s shoulder. “Close your eyes, and hold out your hand.”

Killua cocks an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes, really!”

Killua rolls his eyes over exaggeratedly, but does as he’s told. He holds out his hand palm up, letting his eyes flutter shut. Gon releases his hold on Killua’s wrist—to get the present?—and Killua hears some faint rustling before something light and small is placed in his outstretched hand. 

“Okay...you can open your eyes.”

Killua blinks. The first thing he sees is Gon—bright, radiant, smiling hesitantly—then he looks down. There, resting in the center of his palm, are two small shells. 

Killua’s throat tightens. The shells are beautiful in a delicate way. Dark reds and oranges dip in and out of its many grooves, the ends curving in ways Killua’s never seen before. He recognizes them instantly as native Whale Island shells; where else could Gon have gotten them?

And that’s not all. These shells, they’re…

“They’re earrings,” Gon pipes up. Killua can’t tear his eyes away from the gift, heartbeat loud and erratic in his chest. “I, um, I found them here on the beach. But I had to go into town to get someone to make the metal bits. I helped a little with that part too, though!”

Killua finally looks up. Gon is fidgeting in that way he does when he gets nervous, a clear worry in the shine of his gold eyes. But he still gives Killua a smile, like that alone will make Killua happy even if he doesn’t like the gift. 

“So?” Gon says when Killua says nothing. “What do you think? Do you—?”

Gon grunts when Killua shoves the gift back into his hands. Killua bites out, _“Hold these”,_ before reaching up. He undos his current earrings with only the slightest tremor to his fingers. His heart is still swooping and racing and his face feels too hot for it just to be a sunburn. 

He snatches the earrings back from Gon, who looks too surprised to do much but gawk at him. The needles slide into the holes and Killua fastens them with the small latch in the back. 

“There.” Killua holds out his arms. “How do I look?”

Gon’s answer is a blinding, wonderfully stupid grin that looks way too big for his face. He takes a step forward, right into Killua’s personal space. “You look perfect, Killua. Really, really perfect.”

Killua punches Gon’s shoulder for that and Gon laughs loudly. Killua’s cheeks feel like melted wax but his chest is light and full with that familiar giddiness. He hadn’t thought the day could get any better than when he got his chocolate cake. He couldn’t have been more wrong. 

“Stop laughing, doofus!”

Gon’s grin just widens. “I’m guessing that means you like it?”

Killua reaches up to touch the shells gently. Does he _like_ them? Was that a joke?

“I _love_ them, Gon,” he says quietly and Gon’s smile softens. “Really, really love them.”

“Good.”

Killua looks at Gon just in time to see his best friend lean in close. Killua’s heart stutters, then _leaps_ up into his throat where it sticks—

A calloused hand clasps Killua’s arm, pulling him in close. Warm lips press to his already warm cheek, and Killua’s breath catches in his throat. Time slows to a halt and every part of Killua tingles with the awareness of _Gon._

And then the moment is over. Gon leans back with rosy freckled cheeks of his own, beaming at Killua and unaware of how he just breathed life into every one of Killua’s hopes and dreams. 

“Happy birthday, Killua.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a little tipsy right now, not gonna lie, so hopefully this is coherent hahaha XD
> 
> Killua having earrings is a biiiig headcanon of mine and I just adore the idea of Gon making him special earnings from Whale Island so Killua can carry a piece of Gon with him wherever he goes ^-^ And of course this fic is perfect to post for Killua's birthday so here's a happy birthday to my favorite character in existence, I hope Killua is enjoying his day with Alluka and calling Gon and eating lots of chocolate! And of course I hope you liked reading this fic too dear reader! 
> 
> I actually wrote this for the hxh Downtime Zine a while back. There was a side ship zine so I wrote this and my friend [Cazz](https://twitter.com/cazzarts/status/1319805207417704449) is the one who the drew art for it! :D I actually edited the ending of this piece to have Gon kissing Killua's cheek because that's what she drew in her art and I couldn't NOT include that. All that being said, I don't know how much of this piece is beta'd since I have not looked at it in over a year. I'm praying there aren't any mistakes lol
> 
> As always thank you for clicking and reading!! I'm very lucky to have so many kind and wonderful people reading my fics <3
> 
> If you'd like to see the general relationship fic I wrote for this zine, you can read 'Welcome Home' by clicking [here.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26068855)
> 
> [[my tumblr]](https://decembercamiecherries.tumblr.com/)   
>  [{my twitter}](https://twitter.com/decembercamie)


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